Legend has it that Tom Robbins, author of such literary snickers bars as Another Roadside Attraction and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, worked at the Seattle Times newspaper and did his own writing on the side. But he felt like he didn't have enough time to devote to his own writing and feared that he would never accomplish anything worthwhile. Frustrating! One morning while driving to work, he made a decision. He pulled his car over to the curb, got out, went into a phone booth, and called the paper.

"I'm not coming in today."
"Oh. You're calling in sick?"
"No, I'm calling in well."
"What? What do you mean 'calling in well?'"
"Let's put it this way: I've been sick for a long time. But not anymore. So I'm calling in well. I quit."

He went home and sat down at the typewriter. The rest is history.

Don Firth